5/24/2020 Memorial Day

May 16th was Armed Forces Day. Armed Forces Day is the day set aside to recognize all members of our U.S. military.

Veterans Day will be observed on November 11th. Veterans Day is the day set aside every year to recognize all veterans of our US armed services.

Memorial Day, tomorrow, this year May 25th, is set aside to recognize all those who made the ultimate sacrifice, giving their lives for their country on a field of battle.

This has been a public service announcement. So while your "Thank you for your service" and the like is appreciated and thoughtful, please understand that as a veteran, tomorrow ISN'T my day. So on Memorial Day, please remember all the brave men and women who went into harm's way to protect and defend us, and who perished for that noble cause, so that all of us might enjoy freedom and liberty.

5/21/2020 Meaningless Numbers for Managing Risk

Just browsed my morning newspapers and looked through some news and information stuff online. One thing that stuck me when I went to the Florida Covid-19 site is that the "main" Florida and Charlotte County numbers include the total number of Covid-19 infections. Now that we're 3 or 4 months into this, seems to me that number is somewhat meaningless. Maybe they can't produce the number I'd like to see, but total number currently infected, tracked day by day would be a lot more meaningful. Also useful would be the daily or weekly mortality numbers, not so much the total.

Why? Because cumulative totals tell one story: what the total impact of the virus has been. But the current number of infected people in my county and state, the number of new infections (whether a daily or weekly number), and the daily or weekly fatality numbers would tell me what the risk is now, and how that risk is trending will tell me if things continue to decline, are static, or if there's a spike.

I realize the total infected may be a hard one for them to figure out. They'll know some of the people who had it and have tested negative, and surely the people who had it and have died they'll know, too, but I don't know how many of the people they know had it have had follow-up tests and are now negative. Some, especially early on, may not have had follow up tests at all. I don't know. If so their numbers will just fade into oblivion (or Bolivia, as Mike Tyson once said, "Don't want to fade into Bolivia!"), and still be counted in the total number.

How many people are there who have it now? (Inquiring minds want to know!)

How many new infections this day/week? (Florida currently provides this number.)

How many new fatalities this day/week? (Florida also provides this number.)

All three of those questions will help us manage risk way better than grand/cumulative totals will. Those cumulative statistics on infections and fatalities are helpful for historians, but meaningless to help with our decisions today and tomorrow.

5/20/2020 Conspiracy Theories

I don't subscribe to every conspiracy theory tossed out by partisan.

Right Wing Dumbassery

Do I believe CCP Virus numbers were, are, and will be used by partisans to score points against their rivals? Does a bear shit in the woods?

Do I believe Democrats want prolonged shutdowns to damage the economy and they are pushing policies that will do that in the interest of hurting President Trump's re-election chances? No, I don't. Do I think the damage to the economy will be used to politic against Trump? Yes. That is different from closing the economy for the express purpose of hurting him.

Do I believe Democratic Party governors and legislators are intentionally inflating CCP Virus mortality numbers for the specific purpose of hurting President Trump? No, I don't. I think the numbers are inflated because in their rush to get a relief bill passed, a lot of money was thrown around somewhat recklessly. Hospitals were rewarded financially for each CCP Virus case they handled. So guess what they did? They counted every case they could as a CCP Virus case. Died of a heart attack but tested positive for the virus? Cha-ching! Died of respiratory failure, was never tested for the virus? Ba-zinga!

I kinda like this one though.

Do I believe Comey, Clapper, Brennan and others conspired to frame Donald Trump for crimes? You bet your ass I do!

Do I believe President Obama was the author and leader of the conspiracy to frame him? Nope. My take is Clapper, Comey, and Brennan told him about the crimes they, along with the DNC, Clinton Campaign, and Fusion GPS invented, and sold him on the seriousness of the 'crimes'. He did what any president would have done in that situation. He said to keep him informed. If it turns out he's proven to have been an active conspirator, I'll correct my take. Till then, this is it.

Do I believe the Deep State targeted and took down Gen Mike Flynn? You bet your ass I do!

Do I believe Joe Biden is guilty of a quid pro quo, leveraging US aid to get a prosecutor who was investigating his son fired? You bet your ass I do.

5/18/2020 Pineapple on Pizza?

I don't much care for pineapple on pizza. I would never order it if given a choice. At 62, chances are good I'll never eat it again in my life, and even better that I'll never order it. Of that I'm certain. Some people like pineapple on pizza. I don't hate them for it. If you like pineapple on your pizza and we ever talk about it, will you get mad at me, or call me stupid names because I disagree with you about putting pineapple on pizza? Will you accuse me of hating pineapple growers? What about pineapple pickers, will you accuse me of hating Pacific Islanders who work in pineapple fields in Hawaii? Will you say I'm in the tank for the pepperoni lobby because I'm unwilling to order a pineapple pizza?  Would you say I'm willfully hurting Kroger and Publix workers because of my unwillingness to buy pineapple there for my pizzas?

Why can't the political issues of today be more like pineapple on pizzas? Everything I tend to agree with in the political realm today seems to get characterized that way. I wonder why "I don't like illegal immigration" can't be more like "I don't like pineapple on my pizza."  I wonder if the fact that I support the right to bear arms could be discussed without someone accusing me of wanting mass-murderers to kill school children. Wouldn't it be nice if we could talk about the misdeeds of the FBI, DOJ, and State Dept. during and after to 2016 Presidential Election without being accused of being in the tank for Putin. Imagine if we could question the effectiveness of continued lockdowns to reduce the spread of the CCP Virus without being accused of not caring that people will die from it. And forget about abortion! That's the third rail right there. You might as well accuse someone's mother of being a syphilitic career prostitute. As is the case with abortion, on many of these issues people aren't even talking about the same thing. While I'm saying I don't want pineapple on my pizza, you're arguing that I am opposed to letting people put whatever they want on their pizza.

Recently I've had several friends comment on blog posts that they no longer talk about politics with people with whom they disagree. I don't think this is a good thing, nor do I think it's a healthy thing for society. We NEED (capitalized for emphasis) to understand each other. Today's lack of civil dialogue is poison, no matter what kind of pizza you or I may like.

I don't like pineapple on my pizza. You do? Just pepperoni on my half, ok?

5/15/2020 Irreconcilable Differences?

I'm of my own mind on the CCP Virus and the Federal and various State Governments' responses to it. This morning some quick hitters to express my thoughts on different issues and especially where I break with the thinking of some conservative voices I hear on social media.

As far as Dr. Fauci goes, he's a doctor. It's NOT his job to oversee the economy. When you have a medical problem, let's pretend your knee is acting up. Your doctor says you have a meniscus tear and it needs surgery. He can fit you in on June 15th, at 9:00 a.m. But your company has something very important going on then. Maybe it's an annual audit or maybe it's something else, but you don't feel like you can possible take a week or two off until at least after your July 4th holiday. What do you do? You ask the doctor for an appointment AFTER the 4th. The doctor says he'd really like to get you in sooner, it that's possible. Your knee is continuing to deteriorate, and it may be worse if you delay a few more weeks. What do you do? I'll tell you what you do, you make the decision you think is right for you. Some may opt to go for May 15th, someone else may opt to wait and risk further knee damage. Well, Dr. Fauci isn't in charge of slowing down or picking back up the economy. The scope of his involvement is the virus. What should we do to contain the virus? So, if you think because his recommendation is bad for the economy or your job, as far as how I see it, that's NOT Fauci's concern. And if you subscribe to the conspiracy theories: Fauci wants to tank the economy to tank Trump, Fauci is a George Soros puppet, or Fauci is friends with Hillary Clinton therefore he is working against Trump and the GOP, you need medication. Not for the virus, but for potentially terminal stupidity.

Another favorite is, "Our Governor is trying to throw the election to oust Trump by keeping the state closed." No. Just no. I would say that red state and blue state governors are likely to have different views on our relationships with the government and the scope of government's role in our lives. The distinctions between personal responsibility and government's responsibility, and how much of a role government has in people's lives will be different. So the fact that a red state governor is ready to open up and allow people to manage some of their risks themselves, and the blue state feels it would be irresponsible to do that because it would be too risky and it's government's job to protect you isn't the same thing as "He don't care about the virus killing us", and "She don't care about the economy." It's a different perspective on what the limits are on government's role in our lives, yes. And lastly, on this topic, blue state governors may be dead wrong on not opening back up. Be that as it may, I refuse to believe that their primary motivation is to stay closed, tank the economy, and in doing so defeat Trump in November. Bullshit. That ain't it. Are there political consequences? Yes there are. Are there political strategists with talking points saying that's why governors are doing this? Yes. Are there other strategists saying the virus and our response and everything negative is Trump or your red state governor's fault? Yes. That's the nature of politics in 2020. But sorry, I am not buying the idea that Kentucky still has restrictions because the governor thinks it will hurt Trump in November if the people are broke, and that the Georgia Governor don't care if we live or die. I'm cynical about politicians. But that shit right there is pure stupidity.

Remember a couple of weeks ago now, the protesters who marched on the Michigan Capital? They were protesting the continued closure of businesses and the effect of same on the economy. I saw people refer to them as "Pro Coronavirus protesters". What a crock of shit! People who want the economy opened back up aren't "Pro Coronavirus." That's bullshit and whoever is saying that is just asshole. As in, "You sir, are asshole." But on the other hand, among those same protesters, there were a few who carried unconcealed rifles. I believe in the right to bear arms. I also believe in our right to peaceable assembly. Some of you are going to disagree with me on this, but I felt carring rifles in that situation was provocative and intentionally threatening. I fear our political divide could lead to a second US Civil War if we're not careful. Carrying rifles into state capital buildings seems just short of a headlong rush into that. I don't like it and I don't support it. Right to bear arms? Yes. Intimidating governors of US states by carrying rifles to the state capital? Not so much.

It's a virus. There is no 100% right answer. People have differing views on what's the right and what's the wrong thing to do about it. But ascribing nefarious political motivations to every decision by every public figure in every state every time is stupid, just plain stupid. This is why we can't talk to each other about politics anymore. Every issue, every stance on it is vilified by those opposed to it. Then those of us who agree with that position are vilified right along with whoever decided it. Hydroxy Cloroquine comes to mind. Because Trump advocated it as a possible cure, half the country opposed it with all their might. Big pharma don't like it because there's no money in it. Greedy bastards. I don't like it because Trump said it might work? That's stupid. It's just damned stupid. Stop it. Your politics are clouding your brain.

There is more than enough stupidity going around. We can't talk to each other anymore. The CCP Virus has really laid bare our political and cultural divide. 9/11, forgetting right vs. wrong, was a crisis that at least for a short while brought us together, I'm sad to say that this CCP Virus crisis has driven us further apart. And hell, we already had damned near irreconcilable difference.

5/13/2020 Of Modern Politics and Friendships Lost

As Caroline and I drove up to Louisville from Florida yesterday, I listened to several podcasts, then checked to hear what was on the radio. (I started to say "checked to see what was on the radio", but I think I was going to hear it, not see it.) I came upon the Dennis Prager radio show. I've always liked listening to Prager. He has a relaxed and pleasant delivery, and he is intelligent, articulate, and reasonable. He was talking about recent attacks upon him by some of the mainstream media press, including the New York Daily News. They had twisted his words and taken them out of context, reporting that he "bemoaned the loss of racial epitaphs", which if you've ever listened to Prager you know without having to research it, that it's a fabrication. Dennis went on to talk about it some more, then said something, I wish I had his exact words vebatim, but I'll settle for paraphrasing. He said, "It's a remarkable time, were family relationships and friendships are disposed of because the left is intolerant of anyone who supports President Trump." This gave me pause to ponder that while I drove. What is he getting at, and have I seen it myself?

Yes, I have. Sadly, I have seen it and felt it, a lot of it. Maybe to some extent, I'm guilty, too. First off it's not just because of Trump and Trumpism. Some of it is a social media phenomenon, too. I remember on Inauguration Day, 2017, Caroline, a totally a-political person, made an innocent remark about First Lady Melania Trump's elegance. A former close friend attacked the post, posting nude photos of the First Lady from her modeling days. Shortly thereafter, the "friend" had banished us from her life, blocking us from her phone and from her social media. It was Caroline's friend, although I was fond of her, too. And in the 3-1/2 or so years since, that has remained the situation. I don't see it changing. 'Good riddance?' I don't necessarily think so, but on the other hand, I'm fine with the status quo being the status forever.

Personally, I am guilty of cutting a few people off of my social media for behavior related to their politics. I worded it that way purposely, because in every single case it was for their behavior, and NOT for their politics. People I generally like posted, re-posted is actually a more accurate word, stories from the New York Times or CBS News, or Dan Rather, or some other leftward outpost of though and ideology, stories that insulted me broadside for supporting President Trump. I was 'stupid', 'racist', 'hateful', 'homophobic', 'misogynistic', 'xenophobic', the list goes on. I don't think some of the posters intended to insult me, but they did. And in the case of casual work or social connections that were/are limited to social media, I 'un-friended', muted, or even blocked the most irrational and hateful of them. But most of those connections, I don't really lament losing, not a whole lot, anyway. But not a single one of them, not one, did I cut from my social media because I disagreed with their views on any issue: taxation, immigration, healthcare, abortion, gun control, etc. Not a one. I gave them the boot for the insults. Period.

Social media has put us into a sort of trench warfare situation. Hiding in the safety of our own political fighting trench, the 'enemy', those with whom we disagree, are invisible to us and it becomes a fully impersonal and disconnected from the humanity and dignity of courteous and friendly human interaction. I try, every time I endeavor to express my views, whether on Facebook or here on this blog, to refrain from insulting friends of mine with whom I disagree. Scumbags like Adam Schiff of Eric Swalwell, no. They're scum: not for views they hold with which I disagree, but for lying, and for the insults they and other politicians lob at me and people who disagree with them. Think Hillary Clinton's generalizations about Trump supporters during the 2016 campaign. She leapt from disagreeing with us to insult and casting dispersions. The hell with her. Sadly, many other politicians and media persons have adopted the insulting of Trump supporters, too.

And the right is surely guilty of this, too. "Libtard" is my least favorite of all of them. Many on the right have also insulted friends on the left with these insulting generalizations, but I try always to refrain from using them. The friends who I hold dearest who also hold left-leaning views are intelligent, caring, kind, and good people. Some of them don't realize they insulted me with their posts, and anymore I mostly just ignore it. But, probably as some of them do when friends on the right insult them, early on if the friendship wasn't a meaningful one in some way that transcends a casual social media connection, I ended it.

Well, recently I notice more and more friends on the left disappearing from my circle. I guess it's just an extension of what's been going on. The CCP Virus, Corona-virus, COVID-19, whatever you want to call it today, has had something to do with this. Some people want things opened so they can return to life as they normally live it. Others are much more cautious, and want the closures, social distancing, etc., to carry on until there's a cure and or a vaccine. And you know what? There are arguments that can me made for both that make sense to me. Candidly, as more and more becomes known, I favor re-opening with targeted measures to protect the vulnerable, but I don't think you're a bad person if you favor extended closure. I would welcome an open and honest discussion about that and the other pressing issues of the day if those discussions could be had intellectually without the insults and anger that has come to characterize political disagreement in 2020.

I'll close by saying this: if in the course of expressing my political views, and you disagree with me, I welcome your disagreement as long as it is rational and intelligent, free from generalization and insult., And if I should knowingly or unknowingly have insulted you or do so in the future, I welcome your private message telling me what it was I said and how it hurt your feelings. But if the very fact that I disagree with you on some issue is problematic for our friendship even lacking insult or any hurtful expression of the same, I'd ask you to think about why it is that just plain disagreement causes you heartburn. And if you still can't get past it, then we really are through and that's too goddamned bad, isn't it? Too goddamned bad,

Infringement of our rights, and of common sense

While I’m doing my personal best to follow the social distancing rules, and all that goes with it, unless someone knows that they’re infected, I can’t say that they’re “intentionally risking infecting someone else” by protesting closures, etc. And that's how some people see protests of closures. I saw a Facebook page the other day that called protesters of closures in Michigan "Pro-Coronavirus Protesters." Really? Is that the best we can do to discourse about these extremely important issues of today? The same posted Facebook meme posited that the reason for the protests in Michigan was because the Governor is a woman. That's pure dishonest political spin. There were protests in California, too. People are scared of the virus. People are pissed at the closures. It's not "They're wrong, we're right," it's far more complicated than that. Calling people pro-Coronavirus protestors and labeling them misogynists because they're protesting closures is wrong. Equally wrong is portraying every closure as part of a larger tyrannical scheme to control our lives and to impose dictatorial rule upon us. Surely we can differ about the role of government in our lives and in a crisis, but such characterizations and name calling are far more counterproductive and problem causing than they are solving.

I am especially troubled by government going the route of forced business closure rather than by issuing guidelines for the least risky ways to allow people to work. I saw a report yesterday of a woman who owns a salon who was arrested and will spend 7 days in jail for defying forced closure of her business. Would I go to a salon/barber shop right now? No. Hell no. But I don’t support locking the woman up for trying to protect her livelihood. She’s not intentionally infecting anyone. At the beginning of this thing closing until proper hygiene, sanitation, and distancing requirements were developed was fine with me, but now as the goalposts are moved from “flattening the curve” to “until there’s a cure” or “until there’s a vaccine” at the expense of people losing their businesses is dead wrong, too. And 7 days in jail for her while governments are setting fee criminals from those jails because of the same virus? That’s insanity.

Also troubling is the government threatening religious worship. While I do get that the intent is noble, to reduce the calamity of the virus, the Constitution is clear and absolutely unambiguous with regard to our religious freedom. Meanwhile some of our state governments have arrested pastors for having services. Would I go to a church during the peak of the pandemic? No. Hell no. But in Kentucky, for example, the government even shut down religious services at a drive in theater, where the congregants sat in their own cars. I saw an earlier story about a church in Tampa that was filled early in the pandemic. At the time I thought the poeple there were being reckless with their own health. But arresting the pastor is no less than an unconstitutional infringement on a right the government does not have the authority upon which to infringe.

Our government serves at our pleasure. Far too often in this pandemic it’s been as if it’s the other way around. Do we need more testing, a cure, and a vaccine? Sure. Absolutely. Do we need guidelines that protect workers, customers, public servants, business owners, etc. Yes we do. Will I follow such guidance? Yes I will. But unfortunately I do see infringement on our God given rights and too much intrusion and control of our lives being imposed by well meaning public servants. I don’t buy conspiracy theories about them, although I don’t deny there is fundamental disagreement about the role of our governments in our lives. For our own good? I’m not exactly sure where the line is, but I am sure that what I am seeing is the line being overstepped by people on both sides of this coin in recent days and weeks.

(This post started out as a reply on a Facebook post to my cousin, Diane, but as I wrote the reply, it seemed to me to be taking on a life of its own. So I made it into this blog post instead.)